Had a (very) few days in Victoria, with some good friends, based in Kyneton and feel I need to relate an experience while on the big island . Goldfield South of Castlemaine :Was using my metal detector, finding a heap of targets, all buckshot, in a dry creek bed in the goldfields, very definitely Crown land. A fence in the distance. Guy comes over the fence and proudly and loudly tells me he has filled the entire length of the creek bed with buckshot pellets so that people like me can go and waste their time in some other place, and not next to his land. Was quite an unnerving experience. He said he has told his mates to do the same thing.

I can only assume that he has had a very bad experience at some time or other with prospectors. A real pity that someone would do such a thing. Anyway, if prospecting near Castlemaine and you find an ungodly number of buckshot pellets, its just possible someone has put them there very much on purpose.

I would have spent more time prospecting, but the auto transmission on my vehicle died, and I had an 'interesting' and expensive few days getting it replaced before I had to return on the big red boat.

It is a pity when you are faced with circumstances like that, and the uncertain outcomes of such occurances. Maybe that is where the saying 'walk softly and carry a big stick' comes from.People like that are out there and you certainly dont have to look far to find them.They generally find you!

The buckshot was the copper covered stuff, so it wouldn't be terribly polluting. Most of the Greenies I"ve come across are from inner city Melbourne or Sydney.driving enormous SUV's which never see a dirt road.Bush people tend to be realists. I seriously wonder if that individual isn't growingsomething not quite legal and doesn't want people around to find out........

Victoria is full of shot gun pellets period... Dont even worry about a few peoples deliberate attempt of ruining your fun. 99.9% of the locals arn't like that and have better thing to do with there time. Expect 30 piece of shot to the piece of gold